This watchdog blog, by journalist Norman Oder, offers analysis, commentary, and reportage about the $4.9 billion project to build the Barclays Center arena and 16 high-rise buildings at a crucial site in Brooklyn. Dubbed Atlantic Yards by developer Forest City Ratner in 2003, it was rebranded Pacific Park in 2014 after the Chinese government-owned Greenland Group bought a 70% stake in 15 towers. New York State still calls it Atlantic Yards. Contact: AtlanticYardsReport[at]hotmail.com

Saturday, January 26, 2013

From 7am to 3pm on Monday, January 28and Tuesday January 29, work crews at the site of the first Atlantic Yards tower, B2, will be removing a newly discovered source of asbestos found buried under ground.

The news came in a Supplemental Report to the previous two-week construction alert issued by Empire State Development, the state agency overseeing Atlantic Yards, after preparation by developer Forest City Ratner.

It's not clear exactly where the buried boiler, source of the asbestos, was found, but the B2 site, at Flatbush Avenue and Dean Street adjacent to the Barclays Center arena, was formerly occupied, in part, by both a gas station and a residential building.

The announcement:

During excavation at the site, the foundation contractor uncovered an unknown boiler that was previously buried below ground by others. Samples collected from boiler insulation suspected to be asbestos containing material (ACM) confirmed the presence of asbestos.

An emergency notification was made to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP), and emergency project approval number EN-0098-13 was issued by the NYCDEP.

The abatement of the boiler ACM is scheduled to occur on Monday January 28th and Tuesday January 29th.

Prior to the abatement, the necessary asbestos warning signs will be posted at the site. Properly protected and certified workers will construct a remote decontamination tent in close proximity to the boiler. A tent enclosure equipped with negative pressure ventilation will be constructed around the boiler. The ACM will be removed by wet methods and loaded into bags within the containment tent for proper off-site disposal. Third-party air monitoring will be conducted during and following completion of the abatement activities. All abatement and monitoring procedures will be conducted in accordance with NYCDEP and New York State Department of Labor asbestos regulations. Upon completion of the abatement and prior to final air clearance the enclosure, all tent surfaces shall be wet cleaned, High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) vacuumed, and lightly encapsulated. Following receipt of the clearance from the third party air monitor, the containment tent and decontamination tent will be collapsed and properly disposed with all abated material.